MEDIA RELEASE PR38590
Latest Quality and Purity Specifications for Food Ingredients Help Protect Consumers,
Serve as Resource for Manufacturers
ROCKVILLE, Md., Mar. 4 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
New and updated quality standards for ingredients used in functional foods and a
host of other food products manufactured, sold and consumed every day are included in
the newly released seventh edition of the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC). Published by
the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), the FCC is an internationally recognized
compendium of standards that helps ensure the identity, quality, purity and
consistency of food ingredients.
"The food industry is very innovative and competitive, with new ingredients being
introduced on a regular basis," said James Griffiths, Ph.D., vice president of food,
dietary supplement and excipient standards for USP. "As new ingredients emerge, as
pressures to keep food prices low continue, and as the globalization of the industry
persists, ensuring quality can become very difficult. The Food Chemicals Codex is
designed to serve as a resource for the food industry, offering independently
developed, science-based standards defining the authenticity and quality of food
ingredients that both suppliers and food manufacturers find useful. These standards
provide suppliers with a means of demonstrating quality, and allow manufacturers to
have confidence that the ingredients they purchase are what they claim to be, as
opposed to a contaminated, adulterated, diluted or otherwise inferior product. The
ultimate beneficiary, of course, is the consumer, who deserves a quality food
product."
The latest FCC edition includes standards covering quality and purity for 1,100
food ingredients. These standards include the ingredient's chemical formula,
structure and weight; function and definition; impurity limits; and packaging,
storage and labeling information. In addition, FCC Seventh Edition includes validated
methods in 11 appendixes with step-by-step guidance to analyze food ingredients and
demonstrate their authenticity, quality and purity. These appendixes cover Enzyme
Assays, Essential Oils and Flavors, Fats and Related Substances, Carbohydrates, and
Flavor Chemicals, among others.
New to the seventh edition is a comprehensive section featuring additional
information and industry guidances such as general current Good Manufacturing
Practices (cGMP) guidelines for food chemicals; a comparison of cGMP elements for
foods and drugs; and AOAC International/International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)/International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
guidelines on method validation.
The seventh edition of the FCC is published in print and online formats and each
is available as two-year subscriptions. The compendium is used by finished food and
beverage manufacturers, food chemical and ingredient suppliers, food quality control
professionals and regulatory bodies around the world for managing supply chains,
maintaining regulatory compliance and conducting day-to-day business transactions as
part of contracts between food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers.
The FCC is the only food compendium in the world with quality standards that
cover the full range of possible food ingredients including colorings, flavorings,
nutrients, preservatives and processing aids.
SOURCE: U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention
CONTACT: Francine Pierson of U.S. Pharmacopeia,
+1-301-816-8588,
fp@usp.org
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